Stock trading app Robinhood to launch bitcoin, ethereum trading in five states

Customers in California, Massachusetts, Missouri, Montana and New Hampshire will be able to trade bitcoin and ethereum through the app beginning in February, Robinhood announced Thursday. In the meantime, all customers can now track prices and receive alerts for 16 cryptocurrencies on the app.

The prices of bitcoin and other digital currencies surged last year as investors, including some on Wall Street, bet cryptocurrencies and the blockchain technology behind them could one day transform the world as much as the internet has. Bitcoin was developed as a way to send money around the world quickly and cheaply. However, transaction fees have soared above $20 and other digital currencies have yet to prove their actual use.